"If you consider NetApplications' data set, then Linux owns only about 1 percent of the desktop OS market and Windows has almost 92 percent. But if you consider all computing platforms, including mobile, than Windows has only 20 percent and Linux has 42 percent - and that would be in the form of Google's Android alone." No more or less legitimate than claiming Windows owns 92% of the market. It's all a matter of perspective.

I don't see how anyone can argue this, Linux can't magically mean more than the kernel, a 'Linux distro' means an operating system distribution consisting of the Linux kernel and a configuration of < insert other software here > which together functions as a full operating system.

There is no 'Linux operating system', there is only the 'Linux kernel'.